Arabidopsis 2010 Project: Collaborative Research on the Functions of the SABATH Family Methyltransferases

拟南芥基因组包含24个编码甲基转移酶的相关基因，这些基因与其他已知的甲基转移酶不同。其中一种甲基转移酶已被证明能将一种重要的植物激素茉莉酸转化为茉莉酸甲酯，从而以显著的方式改变激素的活性。初步实验表明，该组的其他23种甲基转移酶将几种重要的激素和其他植物成分转化为甲酯，从而对这些分子的生物活性产生重要影响，从而对无数重要的生理过程产生重要影响。该项目的目的是通过包括分子遗传学、酶学、蛋白质结构分析和代谢物分析在内的综合方法，确定该组所有甲基转移酶的功能（即，将它们中的每一个甲基化）。这些激素分子的甲基化对植物生理的影响将在选定的情况下进行检查，这可能包括涉及植物对病原体，干旱条件和草食反应的过程。研究结果有望帮助人们更好地了解植物对环境条件的反应，从而帮助提高作物产量和营养价值。此外，通过开发方法来确定哪些拟南芥基因参与了植物各种小分子的合成，该项目将有助于阐明其他参与迄今未知生化途径的拟南芥基因的功能。更广泛的影响：该项目将为培养本科生、研究生和博士后（包括女性和少数民族）提供跨学科的机会。参与该项目的所有三个机构都有正式的计划，以吸引少数民族本科生和高中生到教师实验室，这些学生将被积极招募。此外，在本次调查中开发的方法和材料将直接用于在由首席研究员教授的正式实验课程中培训本科生。项目产生的资源将通过拟南芥生物资源中心提供。获得的数据将通过在科学期刊上的出版物、在公共数据库（包括拟南芥信息资源、NCBI和蛋白质数据库）中的存储以及通过每月更新项目网站http://biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/pichersky/NSF2010来传播。

The Arabidopsis thaliana genome contains 24 related genes that encode methyltransferase enzymes distinct from any other known methyltransferases. One methyltransferase from this group has been shown to convert jasmonic acid, an important plant hormone, into the jasmonate methyl ester, thereby changing the activity of the hormone in significant ways. Preliminary experiments suggest that the other 23 methyltransferases of this group convert several important hormones and other plant constituents into the methyl esters, thereby exerting important effects on the biological activity of these molecules and consequently on myriad important physiological processes. The aim of this project is to identify the function of all the methyltransferases of this group (i.e., which compound each of them methylates) by a combination of methods that involve molecular genetics, enzymology, protein structure analysis, and metabolite profiling. The consequences of the methylation of such hormonal molecules on the physiology of the plant will be examined in selected cases, which may include processes involving plant response to pathogens, drought conditions, and herbivory. The results are expected to provide a better understanding of plant responses to environmental conditions, thus helping improve crop yield and nutritional value. In addition, by developing methodologies for determining which Arabidopsis genes are involved in the synthesis of the plant's diverse repertoire of small molecules, the project will contribute to the elucidation of the function of other Arabidopsis genes involved in hitherto unknown biochemical pathways.Broader Impact: The project will provide interdisciplinary opportunities for training undergraduates, graduates, and post-docs, including women and minorities. All three institutions involved in this project have formal programs to attract minority undergraduate and high school students to faculty labs, and such students will be actively recruited. In addition, methods and materials developed in this investigation will be used directly to train undergraduate students in formal lab courses taught by the lead investigators. The resources generated in the project will be made available through the Arabidopsis Biological Resources Center. The data obtained will be disseminated by publications in scientific journals, by deposition in the public databases including the Arabidopsis Information Resource, NCBI, and the Protein Data Bank, and by monthly updating of the project's website, http://biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/pichersky/NSF2010.